This world has been without Craig Charron for 9 1/2 months now, but the Rochester hockey community refuses to forget him.

The list of players coming to play a little hockey for fun in the Craig Charron Memorial Classic is a testament to Sharky’s legacy. You can tell Charron touched many lives and made a lasting impact on so many when players that never even knew him are coming to support his family and his memory.

The hockey game/scrimmage is set for 5 p.m. next Sunday (Aug. 7) at the Sports Centre at MCC. An autograph session follows the hockey. {Scratch that, no signing session!} Tickets are $12 and are available at the rink and the Amerks office.

The event, which includes a money-raising golf outing at Oak Hill County Club on Monday, are organized and operated by the Amerks Alumni Association, and the money raised goes to support Charron’s wife, Wendy, and their four children. They continue to make Spencerport their home. Craig Charron died on Oct. 19 following a nine-month battle with stomach cancer. He was just 42.

Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff (he fits in the former Amerk category as a member of the 1991-92 team) could be skating alongside some of his players. Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Kaleta could be part of the game, along with prospects Zack Kassian and Marcus Foligno. The Sabres players are not yet confirmed.

Local hockey products David Shields (he’s starting his pro career in the St. Louis Blues organization this season), Scott Bartlett, Greg Collins and Mark McCutcheon are skating, as is former RIT captain Dan Ringwald. Marty Reasoner (New York Islanders) could be here, too.

More names may be added in the next few days.

Oh, and the honorary chairperson for the event is Rangers coach John Tortorella, the last Amerk coach to win the Calder Cup. He’s also the only coach to bring a Stanley Cup to Florida (winning with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04. Nichol, Metcalfe and Frawley formed a truly terrific playoff line for that Amerk team in the spring of 1996. Nichol even scored the OT goal in Game 5 of the finals in Portland, turning series momentum.

“That line was so important,” Tortorella said when I spoke to him on Thursday.

Charron’s was the team’s leading scorer (43 goals) in the regular season, and he produced nearly a point a game in the playoffs (7-10-17 in 19 games).

“We were in last place in December,” Tortorella said. “I remember I went into the (dressing) room and we had a standings board. I took it down and said we don’t care about that. The team never lost sight of how much hockey was still to be played. They stuck with it and stuck with it.

Before accepting the offer from the Buffalo Sabres to become head coach of the Rochester Americans, Ron Rolston did a little homework.

He was abundantly familiar with the collegiate game, having spent 13 seasons as an assistant at four NCAA Division I schools (Lake Superior State, Clarkson, Harvard and Boston College). But he had never played in the NHL or the American Hockey League, nor had he coached in professional hockey.

He knew it would be different than what he has been doing for the past seven years as a coach in USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.

He may find out it won’t be all that different.

Rolston phoned some friends in coaching, guys who have coached with the NTDP in Ann Arbor, Mich., and have stayed in touched and shared ideas. Two of them are John Hynes, coach of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and David Quinn, coach of the Lake Erie Monsters.

Hynes was in Ann Arbor for five years before becoming an assistant coacn under Todd Reirden for the 2009-10 season. When Reirden was promoted to the Penguins last summer, Hynes was bumped up to head coach for WB/S.

Under their rookie head coach, the Baby Pens posted the best regular-season record in the AHL this past season (58-21-0-1, 117 points). Hynes was the perfect person to ask about making the transition to the AHL.

“We spoke quite a bit over the last week,” Hynes said this morning, “and I told him they’re very similar jobs, just the biggest difference is the age of the player.

“But it’s a fairly easy transition because the job requirements are very similar.”

When USA Hockey created the NTDP in 1996, officials were seeking a long-term competitive edge in international events. They wanted American hockey to attain success in the Olympics, the World Junior Championship and other prominent International Ice Hockey Federation events. They created the NTDP and centralized development for the country’s best 17- and 18-year-old players.

“When you work in the U.S. program, you have an opportunity to work with very talented young players,” Hynes said. “From a development standpoint, the goals are similar to what’s expected at the AHL level. You want to develop players for future U.S. National teams, but at the same time you want to develop the players in a winning environment.”

That’s exactly what AHL coach are expected to do: develop draft picks and prospects for the NHL parent team, but also win, not just for the fans in the AHL city, but because most NHL general managers believe winning at any level is a valuable part of learning.

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Rumors are that the new AHL team in St. John’s, Newfoundland, will be called the IceCaps (or Ice Caps). The St. John’s franchise (formerly the Manitoba Moose) moved to the far, far east side of North America to make way for the NHL’s return to Winnipeg (the WInnipeg Jets).

The team has scheduled the annoucement for 9:30 a.m. on Friday. That, by the way, is 11 a.m. Newfoundland time. And, yes, just to familiarize everyone again, it’s an hour and a half time difference from EDT/EST.

For the past seven years, Ron Rolston coached in a very structured environment, a place where the emphasis was on teaching hockey and skill development.

In that regard, not much will change for Rolston as the new coach of the Rochester Americans.

In leaving USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, where he coached 17- and 18-year-olds, Rolston enters pro hockey for the first time. But the manner in which he goes about his job won’t change all that much.

The Buffalo Sabres intend to use the Amerks as an institution of non-stop learning. The “University of Sabres” is the phrase they have coined to fit the vision of general manager Darcy Regier.

Sabres president Ted Black said Rolston is the “first professor at the University of Sabres.”

Regier says he wants to “break the mold” that has been used essentially forever by NHL teams for their AHL affiliates. This is how it basically has been for years and years: Players show up by 9 a.m. for a 10 a.m. practice, go through drills for 45 to 75 minutes during the formal practice, maybe linger on the ice for some shooting, special teams or skating work, go through a few sets in the weight room, then depart the rink by 12:30 or 1 p.m. End of hockey for the day. Or on some days they’d stay another 30 minutes to watch video, and maybe take a DVD home to study.

Regier said he’s looking more at the education system for a blueprint to follow. He cites the example of students being in school 180 days a year, with five hours a day of classroom time. There are 186 days in the pro hockey regular-season calendar; the AHL plays 76 games so that leaves 110 days for practice. Slice off a day a week (that’s 27 days) and there are 83 days left for practice. He wants his players taking advantage of every moment to improve their games.

“We have, for a number of reasons, strived to find advantages outside conventional wisdom,” Regier said. “We’re taking more responsibility for the player’s development and demand that the player takes more responsibility for his own development.

“Winning begins with the selection of players (in the draft) and progresses with the development of those players.”

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Appeal of the pro game

Rolston, 44, had spent 13 years as a collegiate assistant, then the past seven years with the development program in Ann Arbor, Mich. He applied and/or interviewed for four head-coaching vacancies in NCAA Division I hockey this off-season. He was the losing finalist at Clarkson and Western Michigan.

As it turns out, that was OK. He told Regier during the interview process that, if offered the Amerk job and the Western Michigan job, he would jump to the AHL.

“In my heart, this was the one I wanted,” Rolston said.

He cited the organization’s commitment to people and winning as critical factors. He wasn’t just going to take any pro job. He has a wife and two kids, so job security is important.

He was in Buffalo eight days ago to interview and talk hockey. “It was an inteview/think tank,” Rolston said.

“We can learn from him, too,” Regier said.

Did Rolston ask for any assurance that he’d at least be considered for the head coaching job in Buffalo should Lindy Ruff retire/leave/be fired?

The Sabres will expand the time spent on skill development with their AHL affiliate. They want their skating instructor to work with the Amerks. They will have a mental skills coach on hand to chat. The kids will have guidance with life lessons, be it from the coaches to the veteran players on the team.

There will very likely be two assistant coaches. There will probably be a goaltending instructor as well. The talks on assistants begin today. Regier said the head coach really must be the person choosing the assistants, because the coaching staff is a team and the team must be able to work together. He said he has always told Sabres coach Lindy Ruff the same thing, though he said he does like to at least be heard when it comes to candidates.

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Rolston will say who goes up

When recalls are necessary, Regier said his development coach tells him who is ready and should go up. He said that’s how it was in Portland with Pirates coach Kevin Dineen. He also said the players must understand who controls their immediate future.

”We ask the head coach who’s playing well,” Regier said. “It’s important that the players know he’s responsible for helping them,” Regier said. “It’s not just the high draft pick or the young player. When we need a player, I phone the coach and ask who’s playing well and who’s deserving. The players have to know that’s coming from him.”

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They got their man

Regier met Rolston a few years back at a USA Hockey function at Lake Placid. Pro scout Jon Christiano, the former Amerks assistant coach, introduced the two. Regier said he has followed Rolston’s work for years.

Regier said Rolston didn’t apply for the job but rather he phoned USA Hockey to ask if Rolston would be interested in coaching the Amerks. “We looked a lot of names but we didn’t focus on a lot of people,” Regier said.

Out of courtesy, he phoned Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations at USA Hockey, to find out if it was OK to approach Rolston, but also to learn more about the coach.

He spoke with Boston College coach Jerry York; Rolston was an assistant at BC in 2002-03 and 2003-04.

“I asked Jerry, ‘Were you ever disappointed with him?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, once. When he left.’ ”

Regier talked to Sabres winger Nathan Gerbe about Rolston. He played under Rolston with the National Team Development Program.

Gerbe recounted a specific video session. “I, all by myself, turned the puck over 20 times and he had all 20 on tape,” Gerbe told Regier.

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There will be some autonomy

Regier said the Sabres will want a lot from their coaching staff in Rochester. But Rolston will have a chance to do things his way, as well. “We’d be foolish to try to re-invent a wheel that’s turning pretty well,” Regier said.

“We have never insisted that our American League team play the same style or systems as we played in Buffalo.”

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Distinction between the Amerks and Sabres is important

The pressure from fans in Rochester, and even the media, is a good thing for player development, Regier believes.

“I picked Ron up this morning at the airport and we talked and I told him we have to win in Rochester,” Regier said. “For one thing, I believe it’s important for development. But this is also a demanding place. The Rochester Americans have a longer history than the Buffalo Sabres in the American Hockey League.

“It’s important that they have separate identities. We want our players to be Rochester Americans, to learn to deal with that responsibility in the community, to carry the responsibility of being a Rochester American and not just being a subset of the Buffalo Sabres.”

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Ticket sales still brisk

Black said the Amerks are over 1,000 full season tickets, and they have sold more than 500 new season tickets. The new sales are most in the 30-team AHL (many may very well be people who gave up seats a year or two years ago and are now coming back, but they’re considered new.

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On the lookout for scorers

Regier says finding a veteran scoring forward remains a priority, but not one that must be addressed today.

He said there are a number of unrestricted free agents at the NHL level that may and/or will not get the one-way contracts they want. One may be interested in joining the Sabres organization, playing in Rochester for $105,000, knowing that Buffalo owner Terry Pegula wants to a) win, and b) treat players right.

Ron Rolston will officially be named coach of the Rochester Americans on Wednesday at an 11 a.m. news conference at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.

Rolston, 44, has been the coach for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program the past seven years and has been in the business of teaching the game for nearly two decades. This will be his first pro coaching job.

He was an assistant coach for four different college programs: his alma mater, Lake Superior State, as well as Clarkson, Harvard and Boston College. He was an assistant at BC under Jerry York when Stephen Gionta played for the Eagles.

Rolston had actually interviewed for head-coaching positions at Western Michigan, Princeton and UMass-Lowell. Former Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues coach Andy Murray got the Western Michigan job.

Still, while he was passed over by NCAA programs, Rolston’s resume appears to be exactly what Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier wanted from the new Amerks coach.

If Regier need an impartial voice, he may just have gone to one of his players, Nathan Gerbe. Gerbe was part of the NTDP group that Rolston coached.

Sabres owner Terry Pegula called the Amerks “the University of Sabres,” and the motto is pretty self-explanatory. The Sabres will be emphasizing teaching for players in Rochester, and Rolston knows the game well.

“He didn’t make the game complicated and he was a straight shooter,” said Cole Bardreau, the former Fairport High star who played on Rolston’s NTDP teams the past two years in Ann Arbor, Mich. “He just makes the game simple.

“When I went there I wasn’t really at the high-level game but I had a great two years with the program and he helped me develop,” said Bardreau, who is headed to Cornell University this fall.

Rolston believed it was time to move on, though he wasn’t desperate to leave Ann Arbor.

“It’s a place I really don’t need to leave,” Rolston said this afternoon. “It has to be the right spot, a place I can grow and develop in and where I can work with great people.”

He is the older brother of long-time NHL standout Brian Rolston. At least two of his close friends in coaching are in AHL head coaches now: David Quinn at Lake Erie and John Hynes with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

New at 4:40 p.m.:

Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, called Rolston’s departure from the NTDP “a significant loss for us, but it’s also what our program is structured for. He’s been an integral part of our program for the past seven years.”

“Ronny just continued to raise the bar of expectation,” Johannson said. “He is a development coach who could get his teams ready for the big game.”

More, of course, in the morning print and online editions of the Democrat and Chronicle.

A parting thought for the evening at 7:05 p.m.:

No word on assistant coaches, but I still believe Chris Taylor is surely in the mix. I don’t know if the Sabres would want a player/assistant, but his experience and willingness to guide and teach the kids make him an ideal coaching candidate.

This time Jacques Martin did indeed add Randy Cunneyworth to his coaching staff.

Cunneyworth was promoted from his job as head coach of the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs to be an assistant coach on the Montreal Canadiens bench on Friday. It will be his second NHL coaching stint.

“I’m very excited and I’m looking forward to the responsibility of helping out and being a part of it,” said Cunneyworth, the former Rochester Americans left winger and, more recently, head coach.

Cunneyworth played for the Amerks in the early 1980s and then coached the team from 2000-01 through 2007-08. He still lives in Pittsford with his wife, Jenny, and has made the Rochester community his home for a quarter century.

He was twice reportedly in line to join Martin behind the bench last decade – once with the Ottawa Senators, once with the Florida Panthers. Instead Martin hired someone else and Cunneyworth remained head coach of the Amerks.

For three of the four seasons that Cunneyworth served as captain of the Senators, Martin was the head coach (1995-96 to 1997-98).

In 2001, Cunneyworth was rumored to be joining Martin as an assistant coach in Ottawa. Cunneyworth denied the rumor. He had only coached one season and probably wasn’t ready for the NHL bench. Then in July of 2007, he interviewed with Martin for a spot on the Panthers coaching staff. Martin instead hired Mike Kitchen.

After one year serving as Montreal’s development coach in Hamilton, Cunneyworth and his assistant coach, Randy Ladouceur, were both promoted to the NHL team. The Bulldogs reached the Western Conference finals, losing in seven games to the Houston Aeros.

“Obviously we have similar philosophies,” Cunneyworth said of his relationship with Martin. “Now it’s about coming up with some fresh ideas to keep things new.”

Cunneyworth, 50, was an assistant under John Anderson for two NHL seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers, in 2008-09 and ’09-10.

“I enjoyed it a lot, being a participant and being an influence on some of the best players in the world,” he said.

He’s well aware that when it comes to hockey, Montreal is not Atlanta. In Montreal, hockey is life.

“You’re under the microscope, for sure,” he said.

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Biron, Connolly to play in Charron hockey game

Goalie Martin Biron and center Tim Connolly are among the confirmed out-of-town participants in the hockey game to benefit the Craig Charron family and Amerk Alumni Foundation.

The game is set for 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 7 at the Sports Centre at MCC. Tickets are $12 and an autograph session follows.

Former Amerks coach John Tortorella, now coach of the New York Rangers, is the honorary event chairman.

Unless one side has a change of heart, Ryan Callahan will head to arbitration on July 28.

An unrestricted free agent, the New York Rangers alternate captain hasn’t been able to agree with the NHL team on what he’s worth. So the Rangers and Callahan’s agent, Steve Bartlett of Pittsford, will let an arbitrator decide.

But they’ll know on Friday a lot more about how their hearing may go. Rangers center Brandon Dubinsky go to arbitration on Friday and their numbers and games are quite similar.

“They’re kind of joined at the hip,” Bartlett said this afternoon. “It would be hard to say one won’t impact the other.”

Dubinsky led the Rangers in scoring with 24-30-54 in 77 games. Callahan very likely would have been the Rangers leading scorer had he not decided to block a Zdeno Chara slap shot in a game in March. The shot broke a bone in his ankle, ending his season. He scored 23-25-48 in 60 games.

At the time he was among the NHL leaders among forwards in hits and blocked shots.

Callahan, 26, earned $2.4 million last season. He’s in line for a substantial raise, probably in the $4 million range at least by the end of a long-term deal.

The question will be: sign a one-year deal and test the open market next summer as an unrestricted free agent, or find common ground with the Rangers so he can stay on Broadway.

Considering the Buffalo Sabres will pay Ville Leino $4.5 million for each of the next six seasons, Callahan would very likely grab even more as a UFA. He’s two years younger and his scoring numbers look better than the 19-34-53 that Leino scored in 81 games for the Flyers last season.

“These are difficult times when you have a guy like Ryan who is coveted around the league, and he’s one year away from unrestricted free agency,” Bartlett said.

By luck of the draw, Callahan’s hearing is after Dubinsky. In all likelihood, that’s good for Callahan. Dubinsky earned $2 million last year. His arbitration award will give Callahan a strong indication of how much more he can expect.

“After the Dubinsky case, then each side (the Rangers and Callahan) can decide whether to engage or we can declare an armistice day,” Bartlett said.

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The second annual celebrity bartending fundraiser to benefit the Craig Charron family and Amerk charities is set for Monday at Murphy’s Law on the corner of East Avenue and Alexander Street.

Callahan, Brian Gionta, Scott Nichol, Rory Fitzpatrick and Patrick Kaleta are among the area players expected to be behind the bar.

Tickets are $50, include drinks and food, and are available at Murphy’s Law or the Amerk office.

I wish I could tell you who will be coaching the Rochester Americans, but there haven’t been many whispers in regard to candidates that the Buffalo Sabres plan to interview.

I can tell you Doug Houda will not be coming to Rochester for his first head-coaching gig, at least not for the 2011-12 American Hockey League season.

The time simply isn’t right, even though speculation and even common sense can build a fairly compelling case — he’s an Amerk Hall of Famer; he and his family like the area; they still have many friends here; he needs head coaching experience on his resume; Sabres general manager Darcy Regier has great respect for Houda; Houda has always spoken highly of Regier.

But he’s staying as an assistant with the Boston Bruins because the Stanley Cup champions won’t be making any changes on their coaching staff.

Much of the hockey world seems to believe that if the Bruins had been eliminated in round 2 by the Montreal Canadiens, Claude Julien and staff may very well have been out. But now the coaching crew has a Stanley Cup. No reason to make changes. Plus, the Bruins aren’t exactly on its last legs. Why not try to win another one.

The biggest reason Houda is staying in Boston, though, is family. His son, Kris, is heading into 11th grade. Houda told me wants him to be able to finish high school where he started it and with his friends from the Boston area.

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In a perfect world, the Amerks and Sabres wouldn’t play very many home games on the same night. Rochester is very much a Sabres town, so fans make a choice if they decide to come to Amerk games.

Of course, there are TVs in the War Memorial hallways, and the Sabres replay usually starts around midnight, but it loses a lot when you can’t watch all 60 minutes or you already know the outcome.

There doesn’t seem to be a way to juggle schedules, though. The AHL survives because of weekend dates, and the NHL certainly likes the idea of Friday and Saturday home games.

Sabres president Ted Black said “there are so many variables just to do the NHL schedule. It becomes too burdensome when you start looking at the AHL and the building issues there, too.”

As it turns out, there may not be that many clashes this coming season. The Sabres are home for 10 Fridays (five through New Year’s Even, five after). They also are home for seven Saturdays, and that’s not a prime hockey night in Rochester.

The Amerks currently are high on the seniority list when it comes to requesting Friday as their preferred home day. They have no claim to Saturdays. If they wanted to make Saturday their preferred day, they’d fall to the back of the bus when it came to preference, so that switch won’t be requested.

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Black said that owner Terry Pegula will not be a stranger to the Amerks.

“If he’s in Buffalo and there’s nothing going on, I can see him saying, ‘Let’s go to Rochester,’ ” Black said.

“He drove to Portland to watch a game,” Black said. “How do you think we got to Philadelphia for Game 7 (of the Sabres-Flyers first-round playoff series)? If he drove to Portland and Philadelphia, I don’t think there’s any doubt he’ll be driving to Rochester.”

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Black said he is not exploring a Sabres-owned TV network. “We’re in the midst of a long-term rights agreement with MSG and we’re really happy with it,” he said.

There could, however, be Sabres-produced shows that focus on happenings in Buffalo and/or Rochester. Where it aired would be decided later; MSG could want it or it could be on perhaps Time Warner Cable SportsNet.

Black said he does hope to have more Amerk road games on Time Warner from other Time Warner cities, like Albany, Binghamton and Syracuse. They will not be producing their own road telecasts, though. WAAAAAAAAAAAY too expense.

He also wants the Amerks to be seen in Buffalo on Time Warner. “There’s a healthy appetite for hockey in Buffalo, especially Sabres-related hockey,” he said.

As long as Jody Gage wants to stay with the Rochester Americans, he can stay.

So says Ted Black, president of the Buffalo Sabres organization.

Since the Sabres took over ownership of the Amerks on June 29, Gage has been in limbo wth the hockey team. He has been working for the Amerks since 1985-86 either as a player, general manager or director of player personnel (other than for that day or two in May of 2009 when Curt Styres was trying to figure out why they needed him).

But Black and Gage met this morning, and while no specific job title was determined, the Sabres want Mr. Amerk to remain with the organization.

The job won’t be in the hockey department; Sabres general manager Darcy Regier will run the show and, two weeks ago, said director of amateur scouting Kevin Devine would have a role in Amerk hockey operations.

Considering Gage’s knowledge of the logistical workings within the AHL and lower leagues, I assume at some point he’ll on occasion lend a hand with hockey ops.

Black said they discussed the type of role that would make sense. Gage knows the AHL but he also knows the Rochester community; what fans and advertisers want and what brings them to games.

”I don’t want it to be a figurehead role,” Black said. “I want him to have meaningful input on strategy.”

They also discussed a role that would give Gage leeway to continue his duties with Curt Styres’ indoor (Rochester Knighthawks) and outdoor (Hamilton Nationals) lacrosse teams.

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Tentative home opener: Thursday, Oct. 7

The Amerks have requested — and I doubt they’ll be turned down — to play their home opener on Thursday, Oct. 13.

They originally had been given Friday, Oct. 7, but the Sabres will be in Europe playing their first two regular-season NHL games that weekend.

Black said Sabres management wants to be at the Amerks opener, including owner Terry Pegula. While Thursday isn’t a normal hockey night, they’re sure that the newness and excitement of opening night will ensure a big crowd.

Myself, I think the Amerks should ask for more Thursday games in the future, at least in the fall. They can’t compete against an NFL Sunday so it’s time to stop trying. Play some Thursday-Friday home games, go on the road for the Saturday game, then be done for the weekend.

From a development standpoint, it plays right into what the AHL and NHL are trying to do (lessening the burden of travel). While selling back-to-back home games isn’t always easy, the set-up with a Thursday home game would save on the travel wear-and-tear. Home Thursday, home Friday, road Saturday. That means there’s only travel before one game, as opposed to two. No biggie if the road game is in Syracuse, but it’s a bit of a pain making that return trip from Hershey or Providence or Grand Rapids.

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Housecleaning

Last summer Dale Tallon told Amerk management that he didn’t need their help stocking the AHL roster or in paying for players. He’s now showing he doesn’t need help from former Panthers general managers in building his NHL franchise.

Over the weekend he made three minor-league trades. The Panthers dumped left wingers Kenndal McArdle and Michael Duco and the rights to defenseman Jordan Henry.

McArdle was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for Angelo Esposito, Duco was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Sergei Shirokov, and Henry was shipped to the Calgary Flames for D Keith Seabrook.

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Lemon honored

Brian Lemon, who has been officiating in the Rochester area for three decades, was honored by the AHL as the recipient of the Michael Condon Memorial Award.

The award recognizes outstanding contributions by an on-ice official.

Lemon has worked nearly 600 regular-season AHL games since 1987-88, and he continues to officiate amateur games as well, such as Section V hockey.

The award was created in 2002 following the sudden passing of veteran AHL linesman Mike Condon.

Go East has been the the rallying cry for the Rochester Americans for several years, but the American Hockey League isn’t listening.

The Amerks are staying in the Western Conference, though the AHL did finally realign from four divisions to six.

The Amerks are in the North Division with Grand Rapids, Lake Erie, Hamilton and Toronto. The board of governors still must vote on a scheduling format, but the latest proposals have the Amerks playing their nearby rivals: Syracuse, Hershey, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Binghamton, Albany and Adirondack.

That’s probably why AHL president Dave Andrews said last week that Amerk fans, though not happy about staying in the Western Conference, wouldn’t mind the schedule.

The three division winners in each conference earn the top three playoff seeds. The next five playoff spots go to the teams with the best records, regardless of division. That’s the same format used by the NHL.

The first round will be best-of-five; the other three rounds are best-of-seven. The shorter first-round series is tied to the longer regular-season schedule template that adds a week but reduces the games from 80 to 76. That move was made to eliminate stretches of four games in five nights, and also to perhaps cut down on the number of three-game weekends.

Free agency began in the NHL last week and, for the first time, the Buffalo Sabres were buyers.

Before the market even opened at noon on Friday, they traded for the rights to defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and signed him. A week earlier, at the draft, they traded for and then signed defenseman Robin Regehr. And then when the free-agency bell sounded, they went after forward Ville Leino, last of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Amerk fans are wondering if the Sabres forgot that they now own the Rochester franchise. They have signed no one for the Amerks. The one free-agent signing has been goalie Drew McIntyre, who has All-Star potential, was signed on Tuesday. He’ll either be an Amerk, or Jhonas Enroth will be here. No snipers or All-Star caliber defensemen have been signed.

I’m not at all surprised. I don’t think they ever attacked free agency for Portland; they filled holes with solid guys. Would anyone mind if they found another Cody McCormick or Matt Ellis?

Plain and simple, as long as there are young can’t-miss prospects like Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Ennis and Luke Adam, then the Sabres are rarely, if ever, going to sign premier AHL free agents. They want their kids to play, and they want the kids to play in key situations when the game is on the line.

I’d say it worked fine in Portland. And now there is some public pressure for them to be sure there is a winning team in Rochester, so I believe they’ll work to be very competitive here.

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Blues sign Scott Nichol

Former Amerk Scott Nichol, who still makes his off-season home in Victor, has signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues.

Nichol will earn up to $700,000 in incentives if he stays healthy (not always the easiest thing for him, considering his rambunctious style).

For a guy who some teams thought was done five years ago, he keeps bringing his heart-and-soul game to the ice every night, and he’s almost unbeatable on faceoffs.

“You can’t keep a good man down,” said agent Steve Bartlett of Pittsford-based Sports Consulting Group. “He’s too popular with his coaches and teammates and he brings too much character to the locker room.”

The Sabres weren’t interested in Nichol but Bartlett said they have inquired about, and remained interested in, Greece native Derek Whitmore. Other teams also have strong interest in Whitmore, who is an unrestricted free agent and spent the last three seasons in Portland.

We’re a mere 5 seconds away from the start of NHL free agency and we’re going to have a little fun this afternoon.

I’ll be the fly on the wall in the office of agent Steve Bartlett, who operates Sports Consulting Group in Pittsford with his son, Brian.

They represent about 50 NHLers, plus others in the minors and Europe.

Among the players that should be signing soon: Tyler Kennedy, who has been with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is probably staying; Erik Cole, the veteran winger of the Carolina Hurricanes; and local long-time NHLer Marty Reasoner of Honeoye Falls.

Ryan Callahan of Greece is a restricted free agent but there probably won’t be action on him today.

*******

12:04 p.m.: The Penguins have announced the deal with Kennedy. Two years, $2 million per.

The deal is great for Kennedy from a public relations standpoint because he was free to sign anywhere and chose to stay in Pittsburgh.

The negotiation had to be amicable, since Penguins G.M. Ray Shero was Bartlett’s partner years ago in SCG.

Four NHL teams have already called to start inquiring about clients. The list also includes Steve Sullivan, who has been with Nashville.

Cole will be a hot commodity.

*******

12:07 p.m.: This really is crazy. The office landline is ringing, Steve Bartlett is talking an NHL G.M. on his cell phone and his son, Brian, is working at home in Boston and speaking to another G.M.

How did anyone get anything done years ago when limited to a landline with call waiting.

*******

12:12 p.m.: A rival team just phoned to inquire about Kennedy. That’s the second team to call, unaware that he re-signed with the Penguins.

Steve Bartlett to the general manager: “If you go down aisle 3, maybe I have someone for you.”

He’s now on the phone with Erik Cole to give an update on what interested teams are thinking.

*******

12:18 p.m.: The negotiation process is very straight-forward. I always wondered how the numbers game begins and it’s pretty simple, really. The G.M. throws out a number and the length of contract (one year, two years, whatever they’re willing to go), then Bartlett says it make sense or that he’s thinking of a little more.

Jamie Langenbrunner of the New Jersey Devils appears to be a popular commodity.

*******

12:27 p.m.: So if any Rochester Americans fans thought one-time Amerk hero Scott Nichol could be signed by the Buffalo Sabres as a depth player — highly unlikely.

Some NHL teams have already inquired, and Nichol should get a one-way deal; maybe not today, but very likely before the weekend ends. Teams love his grit, his character and his faceoff savvy.

*******

12:32 p.m.: Even with cell phones, text messaging and landlines, messages from general managers are still going to voicemail.

Erik Cole remains a very popular player.

The Bartletts have heard from, or called, at least 14 NHL teams and discussed nine or 10 players, some in depth some it passing.

*******

Said one NHL G.M. to Steve Bartlett: “Just seeing if you have anybody left.”

*******

12:36 p.m.: A team may phone asking about one player. If the money is too rich for their blood, they’ll go fishing to see what other players the Bartletts represent. Or Steve may throw out a name and gently push.

*******

12:40 p.m.: Steve Bartlett is back on the phone for the second time with Erik Cole. An update on what teams are interested and what they’re offering.

*******

12:48 p.m.: An offer is in on Marty Reasoner. A couple other teams have said he could be in the mix, depending on how successful they are in pursuit of other free agents.

The conversation is now underway between Steve Bartlett and Reasoner. Steve is laying out all scenarios. Decision time could come sooner than later.

*******

12:59 p.m.: The phones have died down a bit. Now it’s time for the Bartletts to go back to some teams to inquire if they will go higher.

Much of it courtesy. Throughout much of the first chats, even with a firm offer already in, Steve Bartlett has promised to get back to other teams to let them know where things stand on a certain player.

Still LOTS of interest in Erik Cole.

*******

1:11 p.m.: In speaking with an NHL G.M., Bartlett ensures ”I’m not wasting your time. We’re trying to get this done.”

Much of the action in the office now is back-and-forth with clients to find out exactly what they want in terms of a destination.

Brian Bartlett, based in Boston, is phoning one team now while Steve Bartlett is calling another.

*******

1:21 p.m.: The real negotiating has begun. Some back-and-forth with a couple teams is taking place, as well as some pointed talk with clients now that decision time is nearing.

Does a player like Erik Cole uproot the family from Carolina, which has been home for a lot of years? Does bigger money elsewhere ease the pain/hassle of relocation?

*******

1:25 p.m.: Steve Bartlett shoots a call off to Jamie Langenbrunner to give a status update on where the interest has come from so far, but also to explain better offers could come later today or tomorrow after other teams win or lose in their efforts to sign others they are chasing.

*******

1:27 p.m.: Yet another team has inquired about Erik Cole but when told where the money stands right now, the G.M. says “you just knocked me out of the water.”

*******

1:29 p.m.: There is a short list of “today” players and a longer list of “second-day” free agents.

NHL teams have UFA’s listed as their priority players. Erik Cole is one of those guys. So, obviously, is Brad Richards. When those guys sign, the intense attention goes to the next list of players.

Bartlett has a list of his players that are free and has been jotting down next to names the numbers and teams that have either inquired or bailed from the bidding.

*******

1:46 p.m.: And now for some AHL news, already done, a one-year AHL deal for former Amerk D-man Paul Baier. He signs with the Hershey Bears. He’s a solid AHLer and a GREAT team and community guy.

Baier by himself created interest in Amerk hockey this past season with his hours at libraries, schools and team functions.

Oh, and as his teammate last year, goalie Jacob Markstrom says, he’s “the smartest guy in the AHL.” There is no question Baier’s Brown education is very real.

*******

1:54 p.m.: Baier, by the way, will get in the $40,000-$45,000 range. Well worth it for what he brings on and off the ice.

*******

1:55 p.m.: How’s this for a crazy day. Goalie Mark Dekanich, previously of the Milwaukee Admirals/Nashville Predators, is a subject of bidding right now. And tomorrow he’s getting married. His rehearsal dinner is just hours away, so he’d like to say ”I do” to the NHL team and then go practice saying “I do” at the church.

*******

2:14 p.m.: The fun — and tense — part of negotiating is the gambling part. Do you wait to see if an offer will go up? If you do, you run the risk of an interested team jumping at someone else and then the money is gone.

2:17 p.m.: A team has just come in with, as Steve Bartlett says, is their “last last offer” on a player.

Sometimes the last offer isn’t the last.

*******

2:26 p.m.: Down to the nitty-gritty with Cole. Numbers crunching between Steve and Brian Bartlett, via their Skype connection, on how they’d like to structure the total money.

Then, of course, a team must agree, or they fire back a counter-offer.

*******

2:41 p.m.: A big factor in the structuring of a contract is what lies ahead in labor relations. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Sept. 1, 2012.

Considering the NHL lost the 2004-05 season due to out-of-control spending by owners, there is fear that there could again be another work stoppage. Thus, the goal is to get more money up front in contracts.

*******

2:48 p.m.: It’s quieting down now at the Sports Consulting Group office in Pittsford. Oh, still plenty of work. Brian is working on a deal in Boston, with his brother, Scott, monitoring continuing free-agent action.

Here in Pittsford, Steve is finalizing another contract proposal to email to a team.

Jason Pastore, Steve’s assistant here, continues to man the phones and keep abreast on other signings.

What other players sign for money-wise very much plays a part in what the Bartletts ask for when they negotiate contracts for similar players.

Marcel Goc was signed for around $1.7 a year for three years by the Florida Panthers. Boyd Gordon received $1.325 each year on a two-year deal from Phoenix. Gordon scored 3 goals, 6 assists and 9 points last season with the Capitals. Thus, you’d think Marty Reasoner would get at least that; he scored 14-18-32 last season.

*******

3:06 p.m.: Some deals are virtually done, including Erik Cole. Marty Reasoner’s close to being finalized.

*******

3:12 p.m.: Expect to see official word on Marty Reasoner’s signing within minutes. He’s leaving Florida.

3:44 p.m.: Good fun observing the Erik Cole negotiations. From what I can gather, all along the Canadiens wanted him bad. The clock struck noon and they were the first team calling the Bartlett office.

Once the total money was agreed upon, there was a collaborative effort in structuring the contract, too, between all of the Bartletts: Steve, Brian and Scott, and then off the proposal went via mail to Montreal.

*******

4:03 p.m.: Sorry for the lull in updates. I just got off the phone with Marty Reasoner. He’s quite happy to be signed already. No stress for the rest of the summer, although he didn’t necessary expect to sign on the first day of free agency.

“It kind of gets you in a little bit of a panic,” Reasoner said, “because it seemed like it’s a far-off thing and then all of a sudden you have to make a decision.”

With two young kids, Allie, 2, and Ryan, 4 months, he and his wife had to decide that they wanted to move again. He played for the Panthers last season but Florida didn’t make a strong initial offer. The Panthers apparently had interest but the Islanders willingness to do a deal today showed that they really want him.

*******

4:12 p.m.: From Twitter, a Matt Moulson tweet: “Really excited about the signing of Marty Reasoner…great veteran player…will fit in great on the Island.”

*******

4:28 p.m.: The phone calls have slowed down. The first-day flurry is sort of over for SCG, but lots of back-and-forth will be taking place still today and through the weekend on guys like Jamie Langenbrunner, and depth/5th-6th D-men Shawn Belle, D-man Peter Harold and Derek Smith.

Also still on the get-signed list is winger Derek Whitmore of Greece.

Media from Montreal has inquired to interview Steve Bartlett about Erik Cole’s signing by the Canadiens, and Pittsburgh broadcast folks have wanted him to discuss the Tyler Kennedy and Steve Sullivan signings with the Penguins.

*******

4:44: A couple calls have come in on Derek Whitmore. He’s a UFA after three years in Portland as a member of the Buffalo Sabres organization.

I’m guessing teams view him as someone who can earn NHL ice time and be a call-up guy. He never got the NHL chance with the Sabres.

We’re closing down operations for now. Might add a bit more as the evening approaches, but I need to write stories for the morning print and online editions.

About Kevin

Kevin Oklobzija has been covering the Rochester Americans and the American Hockey League, as well as the Buffalo Sabres and the NHL, since the puck dropped on the 1985-86 pro hockey season. He has covered the Calder Cup and Stanley Cup playoffs, as well as hockey at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, Salt Lake City and Turin, Italy. Hockey's O-Zone will provide news and views on the sport. If you have a comment, Email Kevin, and we'll even make it easy for you -- you don't even need to spell his last name: kevino@democratandchronicle.com.